Method of making foldable paper boxes



1933- cs. M. KELLER METHOD OF MAKING FOLDABLE PAPER BOXES Filed July 2,1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR 'Gcozye l7. Keller LEM, ATTORNEY Dec. 12,1933.

G. M. KELLER METHOD OF MAKING FOLDABLE PAPER BOXES Filed July 2,1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 u i J I l l INVENTOR Ecoryc /Z ltcller ATTORNEY PatentedDec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING FOLDABLEPAPER BOXES Application July 2, 1932. Serial No. 620,645

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in the method of making paperboxes, and particularly to boxes of the kind used for containing variousarticles of merchandise and displaying them for 5 sale, and which haveopenings in their front walls closed with substantially transparentmaterial to form windows through which the articles contained in thepackage are visible.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved methodfor making a paper box of this kind which is simple, rapid, and moreeconomical than methods heretofore employed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method of making afoldable paper box having a transparent window therein by providing ablank sheet from which a plurality of boxes may be cut, cutting windowopeningsin said sheet arranged in rows and so spaced that they appear inthe front walls of the boxes when the latter are cut from the sheet,pasting an elongated strip of thin substantially transparent materialover the rows of openings on the rear side of the sheet to close theopenings therewith, and then cutting the boxes from the sheet and withthem the strips over the openings, and scoring the box for folding atone operation.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction andarrangement of parts that will appear from the following descriptionwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novelfeatures being pointed out in the claim at the end of the specification.

in the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a blank from which a plurality offolding boxes may be cut, the window openings having been cut therein:

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the application of the transparentstrip;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the blank cut and scored for folding;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the boxes detached from the blank, and

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the completed box.

In the past, it has been the practice to make these boxes by cutting andscoring the blank, separating the boxes from the blank, pasting atransparent strip over the window opening, and then folding the box andpasting it in assembled form. Making boxes by this method, particularlysmall boxes, is very slow and expensive on account of the difficulty inhandling and pasting the small pieces of transparent material. The

present invention contemplates the pasting of long strips of transparentmaterial on the blank and over a plurality of window openings at oneoperation.

Referring particularly to the drawings, 1 indi- G0 cates a blank ofsuitable sheet foldable material from which a plurality of folded paperboxes may be made, and preferably of such material as heavy paper,cardboard, pasteboard, or the like, and having the window openings 2 outtherefrom and arranged in alinement both vertically and horizontallyacross the sheet. In cutting out these openings, a pile of the sheetsare cut at one operation and the pieces 3 are not cut entirely free butshort distances are left uncut, as indicated at 4 in the drawings, whichserve to retain the pieces in the blank sheets. The pieces are thenremoved, preferably by arranging them over and opening in a benchthrough which they are driven from the sheets with a suitableinstrument, such as a hammer.

The sheets having the window openings in them are then spread on a tableor bench, one at a time, and a suitable adhesive, such as glue or paste,is applied thereto in parallel bands 5 across the entire blank sheet onits rear side and adjacent the openings, and above and below the rows ofhorizontally alined openings. The transparent strip 6, which may be ofsuitable bl-E1151 parent or translucent material such as celluloid orcellulose acetate, is then applied to the bands of adhesive on the blankand over the window openings in the blank. No adhesive is appliedbetween adjacent ends of alined openings, and consequently thetransparent strip 6 is unsecured between the ends of the openings, orbetween the ends of the opening and the ends of the individual box afterthe boxes are cut from the blank. This operation is preferably carriedout by two persons working together with the blank sheet on a tablebetween them, one of them ap plying the adhesive in two bands for eachhorizontal row of openings at one operation while the other applies thelong strip of thin transparent material to the bands of adhesive andover all of the window openings in one horizontal row. The strip ofmaterial may be conveniently applied from a roll on which it is wound.

When the transparent strips have been pasted on all the rows of windowopenings in the sheet, 105 the boxes are cut and scored or creased forfolding, as shown in Fig. 3. This may be done by means of a press orother suitable means. In cutting out the boxes it is common practice toI leave short uncut portions along some of the lines to be cut, so thatthe blank boxes are retained in the sheet after cutting so that wastefragments do not interfere with the cutting operation. These short uncutportions are thereafter easily torn in any suitable or preferred mannerto remove the individual boxes 7 in flat form, as shown in Fig. 4, eachof which comprises end tabs 8 and 9, one of which is provided on the endof the rear wall 11 and the other on the end of the front wall 12 of thebox, which wall also has the window 2 provided therein. The tabs 8 and 9are separated from the front and rear walls by end walls 13 and 14,which are scored, as shown in the drawings, to insure easy and perfectfolding. Side walls 15 and 16 of the box are formed on the sides of thefront wall and scored, as shown. One of the side walls, the wall 16 inthe embodiment illustrated, connects the front wall with the rear wall.The ends of the side walls are provided with scored tabs 17, to foldunder the end walls when the box is closed. On the side edge of the rearwall opposite the side wall 16 is a tab 18 scored from said rear wall tobe foldable thereon and arranged to overlap the side wall 15 when thebox is folded and to which it is pasted by applying a suitable adhesivethereto, resulting in a completed box, as seen in Fig. 5, open at itsends.

By the above described method, boxes of this kind can be produced veryeconomically, since by handling them in sheets a large number of smallparts are avoided. Again by pasting the transparent sheet on a number ofboxes in substantially one operation, the handling of a large number ofvery thin small pieces, which can be handled only with difficulty andslowly, is avoided. If desired to print a label or design on the outsideof the box, the designs or labels may be printed on the sheets in a wellknown manner before the window openings are cut therein.

Although only one manner of carrying out the invention is shown anddescribed herein, it will be understood that this application isintended to cover such changes or modifications as come within thespirit of the invention or scope of the following claim.

I claim:

The method of making foldable paper boxes having windows therein, whichconsists in cutting openings for the windows in a plurality of boxes ina blank sheet of material in alined rows, applying adhesive material tosaid blank sheet in parallel bands, said bands of adhesive materialextending throughout the length of the blank sheet and located betweenand adjacent to said rows of openings, pasting an elongated strip oftransparent material over each alined row of openings and in contactwith the adjacent bands of adhesive material, and cutting and scoringthe foldable boxes from the sheet, each box containing one of saidopenings with a portion of the transparent strip secured along linesextending parallel to the length of said opening and adjacent thereto,said strip being unsecured between the ends of the opening and the endsof the box.

GEORGE M. KELLER.

